<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Operation: Appreciation Bash by Only_Here_for_JatP</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26758780">Operation: Appreciation Bash</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Only_Here_for_JatP/pseuds/Only_Here_for_JatP'>Only_Here_for_JatP</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Julie and The Phantoms (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Happy, Presents, small sads</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 13:14:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,419</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26758780</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Only_Here_for_JatP/pseuds/Only_Here_for_JatP</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Julie and fam plan a surprise for the boys!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alex &amp; Julia Molina &amp; Luke Patterson &amp; Reggie, Luke Patterson/Dreambox</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949521</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>250</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A Plan in Motion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Julie knew she would never be the most devious like Alex. Somehow, he always managed to subtly get his way without too much effort. He could convince his other bandmates that maybe that night they should get Chinese over pizza with a finesse that Julie could only envy.</p><p>She never would be the most mischievous like Luke. You could always see that smirk on his face right before he got away with something ridiculous. Rarely did people ever see him coming, even when he warned them beforehand. After Julie managed to get half a banana in his back pocket, he warned that vengeance would be swift and sure enough she woke the next morning to find all her things wrapped in saran wrap.</p><p>Reggie had claim on being the one person who could defuse any tension, usually before the others were aware of it. He had this incredible knack of saying the right thing at the right time to remind everyone why they loved each other so much in the first place. As emotionally connected as they all were, Reggie had a sixth sense for when they’d been mopey and gooey long enough.</p><p>Yes, these precious boys meant everything to her, and she was eternally grateful that she could give them all the physical love and affection they deserved since the night of the Orpheum. They had so many wonderful points to them, but there were a few thing Julie knew that she did better than any of her boys could even dream of.</p><p>1.	She could plan and organize<br/>2.	She could keep a secret</p><p>This of course had Flynn dubbing her long ago as the surprise party queen. She enjoyed her title very much, but she loved using her ability to use it to show the people around her how much she cared. After Flynn had been sick for a week and bombed her calculus test, she’d come back to a newly redecorated locker with lights, and a mirror, and the best pictures of Julie and her together. To this day she didn’t know how Julie pulled it off.</p><p>Julie had started to do small things for her boys, little notes or treats for when they’d been feeling particularly stressed or anxious. Once, the morning of a big performance she left a new beanie for Luke, a new flannel for Reggie, and a new sweatshirt for Alex hidden in the loft. They’d busted into her room the minute they’d found them, pulled her into a massive group hug, and worn them that night to their gig. They looked so proud and so happy to be wearing something from her.</p><p>She hadn’t done anything big for them yet though and she wanted to. While the boys hadn’t told her everything about their home life from before she’d gathered enough to know that it had been bad. Very bad. Her heart ached for the boys who only had their little trio to rely on and to support them. She knew it was better now with the addition of Julie, Flynn, Willie, Carlos and most recently her dad. The soft look in her dad’s eyes when the topic of her band came up always made her smile. He loved them so much and made sure to take the time to have a special relationship with each.<br/>She couldn’t imagine what life looked like for the boys before they died. She pictured them holed up in the studio desperate to be together and to do the thing they loved most. But her mind always drifted to birthdays, Christmases and holidays. Did they even have enough money to celebrate or do something for each other?</p><p>They always told her when she asked in that sad way, that as long as they had each other it was enough. It was always enough.</p><p>Her boys had more now though. Death had given them a whole new world and a whole new family. After talking with her dad, Carlos and Flynn, they all agreed they needed to do something special for the three ghosts who had become such an important part of their lives.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Julie and the Bash Crew</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The boys enjoy their surprise, after a small scare of course</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Boys felt more than knew that something was… different.</p><p>There were slightly longer and more frequent sidelong glances headed their way from Julie, Flynn and Julie’s family. They seemed to walk in on whispered conversations that quickly turned into something else when they would appear. Julie kept showing up late, never enough that it seemed like a big deal and she always had a reasonable excuse.</p><p>And yet. </p><p>There was something going on and the boys definitely felt out of the loop. If there was a loop. They still weren’t really sure. At one point, they asked Julie about it, but she just smiled her soft smile and reassured them that they were important and loved. If that hadn’t really answered their questions the boys didn’t notice until hours later when their confusion crept back in.</p><p>In truth, it’d taken them a week to notice anything and another week of noticing to ask about it, which worked out just fine for Julie and the Bash crew. Their plan was set to go into motion Saturday night, just a few days after they finally questioned Julie. She felt a twinge of guilt about how she was going to trick the boys, but she knew they’d forgive her. Eventually.</p><p>They boys were waiting on Julie for band practice Saturday when Carlos rushed into the room. She was abnormally late even for her and worry had started to settle in their gut. Carlos’ breathlessness and panic did NOT do anything to make them feel better. Especially once he said Julie wasn’t going to make it to practice since she was hurting so much she could barely move. Granted Carlos couldn’t see the ghosts, but when all of a sudden there was clashing of instruments and stuff getting knocked onto the floor, he figured he got the message across.</p><p>The boys looked at each other in terror as they scurried to get themselves out of the studio as fast as possible. It took them tripping over their instruments, creating a huge crash as Alex accidentally hit a cymbal, and knocking all of the songbooks off the piano for the boys to remember they could poof wherever they wanted to go. Soon though they were popping into Julie’s room. The sight of her curled up and moaning on her bed broke their hearts. She looked so small and they crept slowly to her bed, getting on their knees so they could reach out and be beside her.</p><p>She tried to reassure them that it was just girl stuff, but she didn’t look okay and she kept making these moans. The boys kept eyeing each other nervously, they didn’t want to leave her, and they heaved a small sigh of relief when she invited them into her bed with her for a movie and cuddles.</p><p>Luke climbed in first, moving so that he was sitting against the headboard with Julie laying in his lap so he could feel her chest rising and falling with every movement and bury his head in her hair. Reggie and Alex climbed in on either side of her. Wrapping tightly around her and each other. </p><p>After Julie sent off a quick text to Carlos that the coast was clear and making her boys promise they wouldn’t leave her even for a second, she melted into their warmth. Her tiny act was definitely worth whatever grief they would give her for it later. They deserved everything that was coming to them tonight. After all, they were her protectors, her family, and the best cuddlers she’d ever known. Basking in their adoration, she snuggled in close and drifted off into a peaceful nap.</p><p>Julie awoke to the sound of her phone going off. Groggily she tried to recognize the ringtone, her dad maybe? She started to move to pick it up only to discover at this point she was literally buried by the boys. She was still mostly lying on top of Luke, but Alex and Reggie had scooched closer and closer until they ended up literally on top of her.</p><p>Grumbling she tried to squirm herself out from under the boys, but that seemed to make them hold tighter. She groaned and warned the boys that it was her dad and she needed to pick up the phone. Reluctantly they pulled back just enough for her to reach over and grab her phone. She gave a couple of affirmations and then she hung up again. Speaking softly to her very out of it bandmates she let them know how much she adored them and how much better she was feeling, and maybe they should try and sneak in a band practice before dinner?</p><p>At the thought of playing Luke perked up, but he still refused to let go of the girl in his lap. She could still see the small traces of concern and she reassured them that she was feeling just fine and they had a gig coming up soon. They needed to practice. Slowly, and with a great deal of complaining the boys followed Julie out to the studio. They knew they could have poofed, but they wanted to keep an eye on her. Just in case.</p><p>Julie smiled at her ghost boys as they followed behind her. Maintaining contact at all times, whether it was gripping her hands, arms, shoulders or tugging at the back of her shirt. Soon enough, they were outside and the boys’ eyes widened at the sight of Carlos, Flynn, and Ray standing outside the doors of their studio.<br/>Each person took turns explaining that because of the positive impact they’d made on each of their lives, but most especially on Julie’s, they thought something special was in order. The boys kept glancing at the small Bash Crew and each other in turn with smiles tugging at their lips and tears brimming in their eyes. Julie laughed, a small burst of joy coming out as she gently extricated herself from the boys, joining her Bash Crew in thanking the boys for everything.</p><p>They were definitely crying by then and their smiles lit up their whole faces as they nudged each other in small excitement. The Bash Crew through the doors opened and the boys went still with shock. The decorations and food that clearly exclaimed Party!! Brought them so much joy, but it was the additions to the studio that gave them pause.</p><p>A Julie and the Phantoms banner hung on the wall and surrounding it were dozens of picture frames filled with memories from their arrival. Julie’s cross that she’d tried to use to defend herself was there as well as tickets and backstage passes from their gigs. There were pictures of each of them individually, but also them playing as a band. Luke trailed his fingers over one photo that was sitting on the piano of him and Julie at the end of edge of great.</p><p>All of them though, came to stand in front of the largest print, which took up a good chunk of wall of them all standing at the front of the stage together. It was from the Orpheum and you can see the sheer joy and exhilaration on their faces. While the boys were enamored, the rest of the Bash Crew slunk out, leaving Julie and the boys to celebrate.</p><p>They spent the next couple of hours laughing and being wrapped up in each other. The movie projector and furniture had been arranged for a movie and video game night and they all took turns losing to Reggie at Mario Kart. Although they couldn’t eat the cake, the boys did discover they could shove it into each other’s faces and soon a cake fight ensued. The boys spent a good deal of time going after each other, Alex’s height coming in handy, but soon they all turned on Julie. In the end she was covered in more frosting then all of them combined.</p><p>The evening was winding down as she used the bathroom to clean herself up a little, but she had one more surprise left in store for them. In all of the excitement, the boys had failed to notice the sheet covering the coffee table near the couch which hadn’t been moved for the sake of movies and video games.</p><p>She dragged the boys over as they stammered that really, they didn’t need anything else. That all of this meant so much to them, but Julie shushed them as pushed them down. They stared a little confused at the sheet and even more confused at what lay underneath it.</p><p>There were four little wooden boxes sitting on the table, and a package of paint pens. One was a deep mahogany wood color, another was sleek and stained black, and a third was white- Just like Julie’s. The last was set a little farther away from them all and while you could tell it had originally been a light brown color it had been dusted over with purple, pink, red, and blue, the colors intermingling.</p><p>Luke figured it out first and soon he was nearly vibrating with excitement. He reached out and carefully traced over the lid of the mahogany box, pulling it close to him. Reggie figured it out next. His fingers danced over the lid and he opened and closed it a few times in awe. Alex just stared at the white box.</p><p>Julie whispered softly that she’d wanted him to know that it could be anything he wanted. There would be no color or shade that couldn’t be added. But more than that, she wanted him to know every time he looked at it that he was connected to her and that she was thinking of him. Alex looked up at her and smiled, immediately reaching for the markers.</p><p>Julie tapped the fourth one and told them how this one was for the band together and she opened it for them to see that it was already starting to collect polaroid’s and lyrics. At that, the boys stood up to hug her close. Luke refused to put his new box down, even to hug her. Julie laughed as she joked that maybe now with their own dreamboxes, they could leave hers alone.</p><p>She quickly had three pairs of ghost eyes on her and Luke with his signature smirk let her know, “Not a chance.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks all for reading this &lt;3</p><p>I really really wanted more friend and cuddle fluff. But also I really wanted the boys to get a birthday party.</p><p>Also the real OTP is Luke x Dreambox and so he needed his own. But then I couldn't just give one boy a dreambox. So dreamboxes all around.</p><p>They really are still going to mess with Julie's though. That's a given.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>